Supportive leadership from senior management and 'upbeat, well motivated staff' lie at the heart of strong performance arrangements within Dyfed- Powys Police, according to a report released this month. In their national police performance assessments, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary highlight the force as being excellent in tackling crime, protecting vulnerable people, and managing resources and efficiency. Good gradings have been awarded in relation to satisfaction and fairness and the way that local priorities are addressed. "The grades awarded by the Inspectorate following a rigorous and robust assessment highlight the areas where this force is particularly strong and I welcome their comments in relation to the committed and dedicated staff within this force," said Chief Constable Terence Grange. The Inspectorate noted that the force was performing well in relation to protecting the most vulnerable sections of local communities, such as victims of child abuse and domestic violence, and improved upon its existing high standards in relation to crime investigation and detection. The Chief Constable was keen to emphasis that where fair grades had been awarded by the Inspection team (in relation to Neighbourhood Policing and Serious Crime and Public Protection), the standards of service delivered to the public were still very consistent. "What a fair grade actually means is that in the eyes of the Inspectorate, an acceptable level of service is being maintained, which meets national standards. In fact, HMIC themselves state that they would expect the majority of forces to achieve a fair grade in any particular performance area and to exceed this you would have to be delivering something 'of a high quality or level,'" he emphasised. "Let me look at the two areas where we are graded fair specifically. In relation to Neighbourhood Policing, the Government originally said that they would centrally fund the provision of 157 PCSOs across this force area to provide the public with a visible and reassuring presence in local communities. "That number was subsequently reduced to just 74 to cover the four counties that this force polices and the many communities within those counties. We had to totally revisit our plans in light of this and this has meant that the way neighbourhood policing is delivered in this force will be very different to many others," the Chief Constable went on. "In the coming months I will be looking to work with my Police Authority to establish how the delivery of neighbourhood policing in this force can be enhanced within the limited finances that are likely to be available. For us to move from a fair grade to one of good is likely to be extremely costly and that is a matter that the authority will have to consider very closely. It remains the case that our particularly close relationship with our public is the envy of forces elsewhere." Turning to Serious Crime and Public Protection, Mr. Grange said: "We live in an area where thankfully levels of major and serious crime are generally very low, but we already have robust procedures in place to deal with such issues when they arise and we intend to improve further on these still further. "Where we are challenged by such events, we have been very successful in bringing such matters to a successful conclusion." The strong performance appraisal from the Inspectorate comes hot on the heels of two other reports that have recognised the work of Dyfed- Powys Police. The Wales Audit Office have rated the quality of data produced by the force as 'excellent' and the management arrangements supporting this as 'good.' In addition, their assessment of the Police Use of Resources (PURE) has highlighted particular strength in the efficiency and effectiveness of the force. "The results achieved by Dyfed-Powys Police in recent weeks are a reflection of the hard work of all our staff over many years," the Chief Constable said. "Whilst we may not get everything right all of the time, we remain committed to providing a high quality service for communities across the force area within the resources we have available. We will use the assessments of Her Majesty's Inspectorate to improve further and consolidate the standards already set," he concluded.